After spending 30 years in the San Francisco Bay area, Rick and Janice were looking for a simple, quiet spot to retire. They found the ideal community just southeast of Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho, where they built their 3,120-square-foot home on a 130+ acre property. Known for its rugged beauty, the area offers year-round recreation opportunities as well as plenty of space for solitude. Rick and Janice built the home for a lifetime, adhering to the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities A…

It began with a passing conversation, and the result was spectacular. Charlene and Jay Wyatt have deep roots in North Carolina, but a magnificent log home, The Meadow, in the tiny town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, has a special place in their hearts. “The Meadow is our respite,” explains Charlene. “It’s our surrendering place. We liken our home in Cloudcroft to a favorite pair of boots that you reach for naturally. They pull on easy, and the comfort always has you going back to them again and again.” The …

Childhood memories often play a big role in one’s adult life. For Sylvie Gagnon-Sciortino, the summer vacations she spent at her grandparents place on the shore of a lake in the Lac Supérior region of the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec were just magical. It was a haven of peace, she recalls with emotion. So it is not surprising she would choose to build her small (27-by-24-foot) log cabin in this enchanted location, especially since her family still owns the land and her parents are her nearest neighbor…

They call it simply “The Cabin.” On Blue Mountain in the Appalachian Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania just two hours from the bustle of the city, Tony and Dottie Differ own 3,355 square feet of freedom and relaxation. Located in the Eagle Rock Resort near the town of Haverton, The Cabin is one of 1,000 homes in the sprawling 8,800-acre development that offers tremendous amenities, both man made and natural. “It’s a private, gated area containing natural mountainous woodlands with large natural roc…

Now the happy owners of 18 acres in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, the couple spent many days strolling through its meadow and dreaming about enjoying the mountain views it afforded. The couple knew this was the perfect spot to build their dream getaway. They originally owned a small cabin on 11 acres just up the hill from this location, and when seven additional acres became available they jumped at the opportunity to buy. “As luck would have it, the owners of the property adjacent to ours, with a view of tha…

When Cliff and Myrna Williams were ready to build their retirement home, they wanted to duplicate their original log cabin that was built back in 1952 on Big Spider Lake near Hayward, Wisconsin.  Constructed by Ted Moody, the log craftsman who built nearby Spider Lake Lodge back in the 1920s, it was decorated in Adirondack style. “We loved our old cabin,” Myrna says.  “It was beautiful, but it needed a lot of repair, and it was too close to the water.”   When Cliff sold his busi…

The story of the renovated Russell Cabin begins long before the original hand-hewn log building was erected on the Swan Lake shoreline. In addition to the many fine details of the construction project, the cabin’s rich and colorful history merits some words. The first occupants of the “home site” were members of the Native American Kootenai, Flathead, and Blackhead tribes, who set up camps on this sublime stretch of shore in northwest Montana. Not only is the setting at the north end of Swan Lake (where…

Whitefish, Montana, is a destination resort town offering year-round recreational opportunities. You name it and Whitefish has it. Skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing, and golfing make it a desirable location for ski bums and retirees alike. For John and Susan Witt, Whitefish is, more than anything, about community.  “We bought property in Whitefish because it had all the elements we were looking for in a future retirement property,” says Susan Witt. “We enjoy all that t…

“Kurt developed a love for the mountains in the summer of 1974, after attending a geology field camp in Wyoming,” says Kurt’s wife, Patricia. “I imagined building a beach house, but both of us have a tremendous love and respect for the beauty of nature, be it seaside or mountains.” When the couple began considering a second home, a real estate ad in the Wall Street Journal caught their attention, and Kurt and Patricia traveled from Houston to Estes Park, Colorado, to check out the property. “We were loo…

One look at DB Ranch and the words “downright breathtaking” are sure to come to mind. Situated on 150 acres of natural, untouched acreage in the Bitterroot Valley region of Montana, the sprawling log cabin home is both inviting and regal at the same time. And at 8,000 square feet, the home has the appearance of a bed and breakfast or lodge. That’s exactly what the owners envisioned when they purchased the home and land back in 1990. The structure was much smaller at the time and took up just 1,000 squar…